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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) extended the U.S. federal transportation mask mandate.
The policy, first set to expire Sept. 13, has now been extended until Jan. 18, 2022, asCOVID-19cases rise amid the spread of the Delta variant,Reutersand theAssociated Pressreported this week.
A TSA spokesperson told Reuters the decision for the extension is “to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation.”
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The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 flight attendants across 17 airlines, said the TSA’s extension will “help tremendously to keep passengers and aviation workers safe.”
“We have a responsibility in aviation to keep everyone safe and do our part to end the pandemic, rather than aid the continuation of it,” the president of the union, Sara Nelson, said in astatement. “We all look forward to the day masks are no longer required, but we’re not there yet.”
The U.S. Travel Association said the extended policy “has the travel industry’s full support.”
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“The universal wearing of masks in airports and on airplanes, trains and other forms of public transportation is both an effective safeguard against spreading the virus and boosts public confidence in traveling—both of which are paramount for a sustained economic recovery,” the organization said in a press release.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s Unruly Passengersreport, out Tuesday, even revealed that out of 3,889 unruly passenger incidents reported in 2021, 74 percent (2,867) were due to passengers refusing to wear a mask.
In an attempt to address the issue, the FAA announced azero-tolerance policyback in January asreports of bad behaviorsoared in the high skies. Per the policy, “the agency will pursue legal enforcement action against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members” in addition to issuing fines.
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source: people.com
